The OLLI Board met at Tallwood on November 18. OLLI President Lillian Brooks noted that the Board had a retreat on November 12 to develop a strategy for implementing our five‑year Strategic Plan. With the ideas we generated there and suggestions that came from our recent Town Hall meeting, we will be busy working to create a better OLLI experience for us all.
Our Health Advisory Work Group tells us that COVID numbers in Fairfax County are good so far. Weekly case and hospitalization numbers are down. We have a great vaccination rate in the County, especially among the older population. As the variants increase, COVID is more contagious but less lethal; people who contract it are experiencing symptoms of the common cold. The group will have a full report for us on OLLI health and safety protocols in January.
We continue to have discussions with Continuing Care Retirement Communities to explore opportunities of mutual benefit.
Our last official in‑person event for 2022 will be our Holiday Party on December 1. Since winter term is entirely online, it won’t be until spring term that we officially get together again. Clubs can organize off‑campus events, so some of us might enjoy get‑togethers before then.
Reminder: Literature, Language, and Theater (LLT) Program Planning Group to Meet December 6
By Patricia Bangs, LLT Program Planning Group Co-chair
Whether you enjoy the classics or spy novels, sci-fi, memoir, poetry, want to learn a language, or explore playwrights and the world of theater, we need your thoughts and ideas. Please join us for our semi-annual all-campus program planning group meeting for literature, theater, writing, and language program planning on Tuesday, December 6, 10:30-noon, via Zoom.
We will be reviewing past terms and looking forward to planning Summer 2023 and beyond. All OLLI members can contribute to the excellent programming offered to our membership. The meeting Zoom link is below. If you also would like to be added to our LLT mailing list for a reminder, please email me at: pbangs68@gmail.com.
Many thanks.
To attend via Zoom’s cloud meeting service, beginning at 10:30, please click this Zoom link to join the meeting and use passcode 385003 (Note: enter passcode with NO spaces) or enter meeting ID 968 1639 9431 in the Zoom app and use the above passcode (preferred method) or dial in by your location:
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 267 831 0333 US (Philadelphia).
To find your local number, click here.
To join by Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), click this link.
By Brenda Bloch-Young and Doris Bloch,
Co‑Moderators
Continuing Wednesday Conversations, Team Bloch (Brenda Bloch-Young and Doris Bloch) will moderate a Zoom discussion on November 30 at 4:00; every OLLI member is most welcome.
November 30: Our chosen topic: Downsizing and "De-Acquiring" (timely and appropriate for discussion!). A member suggested this, and we thank them for the idea. The topic can be summed up in the title of an article Brenda found, “Help – I Have Way Too Many Baskets.”
I (Doris) once met a woman who said her mother was such a non-consumer that her kitchen cupboard held only two plates, two knives, two forks, two spoons, and two glasses. She owned three white blouses and no other tops—the thought of which completely blows my mind! I am the reverse—not quite a certifiable hoarder but on the verge. On the other hand (school of silver linings), I was well-equipped for the pandemic, where no one dared to go buy anything for several years.
How do YOU deal with the deluge of 50+ years of “stuff?” Share with us your thoughts, your strategies, your downsizing experiences. We can all learn from each other!
Heads up for the following week’s Conversation, December 7: Pet Peeves.
Each week we advertise our pre-selected topic in the OLLI E‑News, OLLI E‑Blast, and the OLLI daily schedule. If you have a suggestion for a topic that will be of interest to members, please do send it to one of us (Bblochyoung@gmail.com or dbloch50@hotmail.com).
Check your daily schedule for the Zoom link each Wednesday and plan on some social time with Team Bloch.
On November 10, OLLI participated in an oral-history panel discussion co‑sponsored by the George Mason University Research Center Special Collections in honor of the 50th anniversary of Mason transitioning to an independent university. Pre‑1972, Mason was a branch of the University of Virginia, but it was destined to become the largest academic institution in the Commonwealth as of 2022.
Robert Vay, the archivist of the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC), has spearheaded an effort to find and record that early history of the university. One notable effort is an exhibit, currently displayed at the Fenwick Library on the Fairfax campus, with artifacts showing how the university developed from a two‑year community college, headquartered at Bailey’s Crossroads in a former public-school building, to where and what it is today.
OLLI’s role in the commemoration of the 50‑year milestone was for members to contribute recollections and reminiscences about Mason around the time of the split from the University of Virginia. Three OLLI members were able to share their memories: one former student and graduate student; one faculty member emerita; and a faculty spouse. Dr. Janice Winters, Dr. Jayne Hart, and Doris Bloch were the panel discussants. Each of us had a unique perspective on the school, its development both academically and in its diversity, and also the huge changes in its campus layout and buildings.
Topics discussed were:
How you came to become a member of the Mason community
What was campus like at that time (e.g., physical campus, student body, faculty)
Most significant changes in the university
Diversity at the university.
Following the panel discussion, there was a tour of the Special Collections exhibit.
The event was recorded on Zoom and will be available on the recording roster as 991/991Z.
Some of you may have joined the OLLI summer 2022 program “Live from Korea” class, taught by faculty from Mason’s campus in Songdo, Korea. Mason Korea is in the midst of its fall fundraising scholarship campaign for students with financial need. Scholarships support students attending Mason Korea as well as students from Mason in the US who travel to Mason Korea to study there for a semester or year.
The many Korean students who study at Mason Korea and their families earn Korean won but pay tuition in dollars. With the won at a ten-year low against the dollar, Mason Korea’s tuition has effectively become much more expensive. For Mason Korea students planning their required year of study at Mason Fairfax, the weakness of the won against the dollar can be even more devastating. Many must take leaves of absence because they can no longer afford studying in the US as required. Study abroad at Mason Korea for Mason US students is surprisingly affordable, but for students who have lived at home or must give up jobs in the US to travel to Korea, study at Mason Korea can remain too expensive.
The students who attend Mason Korea, many multilingual and multicultural, experience and study the global perspectives required for the challenges and opportunities of the twenty-first century. They are a remarkable group. In the tradition of Mason’s “access to excellence,” Mason Korea wants all its students to have this kind of transformative international experience, without limits.
Mason Research Opportunity for OLLI: StrongerMemory Program
By Hyun Kang, Ph.D., Mason Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Social Work
Mason's gerontology team in the Department of Social Work is recruiting individuals aged 60 and over who have cognitive or memory concerns. We would like to introduce the StrongerMemory program developed by Goodwin Living (website link: StrongerMemory - Goodwin Living) and find individuals who are interested in participating. In this program, participants will be encouraged to read aloud, write, and solve simple math problems for 20 to 30 minutes every day (for 12 weeks).
We encourage OLLI members to participate, which will involve completing questionnaires before and after the 12-week StrongerMemory program and completing weekly check-in sheets. The interviews can occur in-person, on Zoom, or by phone. If you would like to participate in this study, you will be required to complete an online screening survey. It is a very brief survey designed to assess your recent experience with cognitive decline. If you are selected, a notification will be sent via email to confirm your participation. Upon completion of the post-interview, you will receive a $75 gift card as compensation for your time and effort.
For more information about the study, click here. To take the screening survey, click this link.
By Darden Purcell, D.M.A, Mason Director of Jazz Studies, Jazz Voice
Mason Jazz concerts this November have featured lots of variety, as noted in recent issues of E‑News. The following announcements are for two post-Thanksgiving concerts coming up on November 29 and November 30.
Steel Pan Ensemble | Braddock Road Brass Band
Tuesday, November 29, 8:00, at the Center for the Arts. The concert is free and open to the public; no tickets are required.
The Mason Steel Pan Ensemble (directed by Victor Provost) and Braddock Road Brass Band (directed by Graham Breedlove) team up on November 29, 8:00, for a concert in the Center for the Arts! Showcasing music of the Caribbean and beyond, as well as traditional New Orleans jazz and modern compositions, this concert is certain to entertain everyone!
Mason Jazz Combos
Wednesday, November 30, 8:00, in De Laski 3001. The concert is free and open to the public; no tickets are required.
The Mason Jazz Combos, directed by Wade Beach, perform their fall concert! Our exploratory groups, the Jazz combos are open to all university students, regardless of major. These ensembles provide students with opportunities in improvisation, composition, and arranging, as well as small‑group performing experience.
The Computer Club (OLLI Personal Computer User Group, or OPCUG) will meet with its partner, the Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (PATACS), on Saturday, December 10, in person and via Zoom. You must observe OLLI/GMU Health protocols (see this link). Program activities begin at 1:00; the Zoom session usually opens at 12:45. Coffee, soda, and individual snack packages will be available.
Realtime Backups of Live Video – Presented by John Krout
You have a camcorder and a laptop. Combined with an inexpensive HDMI-to-USB adapter, your camcorder can be a webcam, but far more versatile, with auto-focus and face-finding to keep your subject in focus, with zoom lens enabling your live audience to see distant action (e.g., a soccer game or graduation), and with Zoom, YouTube, Twitch, or even the free VLC app to transmit that video. While recording on the camcorder, you can also record the same video on the laptop, a real-time backup. This presentation will show you how to accomplish all of that and will include a demo.
John Krout is a frequent presenter at our meetings on a wide range of computer, technology and photography topics, and author of many articles for the PATACS Posts newsletter.
Learn in 30: MiFi Devices – Presented by Mike Pafford
This ‘Learn in 30’ has Mike Pafford back again, to give us a ‘homework’ style rundown on MiFi (Mobile Wireless Fidelity) Devices. Mike will use the tried and true, Who, What, Where, When, and How (including How Much) briefing format. Anyone who’s been looking for a way to ensure personal (and sharable) Internet access while on the go, will want to hear Mike’s talk, and ask any questions, as he’s on his 4th or 5th generation MiFi Device.
Mike Pafford is a retired Navy Cryptologic Officer, a retired systems engineer from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, and a retired JHU software systems engineering Instructor. Previously he’s given us talks about ‘Stick Computers,’ ‘DJ Using Spotify,’ and ‘Driving with My Wife from VA to CA and Back in her Tesla.’
Session includes: Computer & Tech Support – for PC clinic information and guidelines, click this link.
To attend via Zoom’s cloud meeting service, beginning at 12:45, please click this link to join the meeting and use passcode 085407 (Note: enter passcode with NO spaces) or enter meeting ID 885 2504 2358 in the Zoom app and use the above passcode (preferred method) or dial in – 301-715-8592.
The last meeting of the History Club for 2022 will be held on Wednesday, December 7 at 10:00 (PLEASE NOTE TIME).
Our presenter will be Kayleen Reusser, author of Battle of the Bulge. Kayleen has written nine books on WWII based on interviews with hundreds of veterans. This book brings the Battle of the Bulge to a personal level by recording the memories of men and women whose backgrounds could not have prepared them for the places and events they experienced in one of the most significant battles of World War II.
Kayleen is the wife and mother of Air Force airmen; her presentation promises to be a memorable one. All OLLI members are invited to History Club meetings. Remember, since OLLI is officially out of session, the meeting will be at 10:00.
By Bob Heyer and Marilyn Harriman, OLLI Walk & Talk Club Co-Chairs
OLLI’s November 15 Walk & Talk was led by OLLI Trail Master Dick Crawford through the Wolftrap National Park trails. The Wolftrap light Blue and Orange trails are rustic paths with fallen leaves, tree roots, and rocks. The trail's natural beauty is the creek alongside many large weathered, rounded river stones and boulders. A lovely pond is hidden amongst the trees and rolling hills, shown behind our team picture. Climbing hillsides gave us a vantage point to view the meandering stream. Then we were down alongside, crossing over small watershed streams. Wolftrap has a large amphitheater and a smaller venue in the back with a beautiful open grass meadow for kids and others to play.
After an hour in the woods, our group headed for coffee, tea, and munchies at Tyson’s Bagel Market for relaxing friendship outside the classroom! We may have to rename ourselves the Walk, Talk, & Coffee Club!
UPCOMING Walks:
November 30: Start at 9:00 at Eleanor C Lawrence Park on Walney Road in Chantilly, at the parking lot by the pond (GPS coordinates 38.853790, -77.430190. Walk is about 2.5 miles, with some varied terrain. Optional after-outing coffee, tea, and cocoa at Chateau de Chantilly, 139745 Metrotech Drive, Chantilly.
December 8: Meet at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna at 10:00. A coffee, tea, and cocoa get-together will be held at Caboose Brewery and Coffee House, 520 Mill Street, Vienna, afterward.
December 12: To explore more of the Washington and Old Dominion Trail in Vienna, meet at the trail at 9:00; led by Phyllis Krochmal. More details will follow through the Walk & Talk Club member portal.
No club walks are scheduled December 19‑30.
If you’re not yet a Walk & Talk Club member but would like to join us, please get in touch with one of the co-chairs (Marilyn: mlharriman74@gmail.com; Bob: rheyer64@gmail.com) with your information, including your cell phone number. Please register with the club in the OLLI registration portal (winter term registration begins November 29).
The November 2022 Photo of the Month theme was architectural photography. We selected John Olsen's photo "East Wing of the National Gallery of Art" which may also be viewed at this page. To view other photos by members of the Photography Club, visit the club's photo website. -- By John Olsen and Edward Marion, Photography Club Coordinators
Gravity is a powerful and unknown force
gluing galaxies together in a swirling
magic circle of stars.
Love is also a powerful force
operating across national borders
races, and social classes.
It lasts during sickness and sadness
and even outlasts death,
extending beyond the grave.
Particularly strong is
the love between mothers and daughters.
It does not diminish with distance and time.
Our daughter wrote to her mother
“You are so special to me
and your joy also
makes me happy.
I hope you have golden moments
this week when you
think of how much you are loved.”
Parenthood may the toughest job in the world
requiring decades of service and caring
But there are some benefits
for those who are sustained by love.
Robert E. Brown, OLLI member from 2011-2020, died July 13, 2022. He was a 1966 graduate of the University of Washington with a double major in history and the Chinese language. Robert had a 32-year career with the CIA, where he was a member of the Senior Intelligence Service and received several intelligence awards.
As an Army veteran, he was interred at Arlington National Cemetery in September 2022. Further information is available at this link.
Current vaccination policy for the Center for the Arts and Hylton Performing Arts Center is summarized as follows:
Audience members are not currently required to show proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID-19 test result for most events, except when required by the event organizer or artist. If proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result is required for a specific event, it will be indicated on the webpage with event details.
Dr. Linda Apple Monson produces a periodic “Notes from the Director.” This email is full of interesting online performances by the students and faculty of the School of Music. If you would like to receive these bulletins, just sign up at this link to stay in touch. Also, the Center for the Arts has a website,Mason Arts at Home, which has a calendar of online events and access to many past performances. Information can also be found at CFA ticket purchase page, Center for the Arts YouTube Channel, or the Hylton ticket purchase page.
The 5 Browns
Sat, Nov 26, 8:00
Concert Hall
A pre-performance discussion will take place in Monson Grand Tier, which is located on the third level of the Center for the Arts Lobby, 45 minutes prior to curtain.
Admission: $50, $43, $30
The Queen’s Cartoonists
Sun, Nov. 27, 3:00
Concert Hall
Before the performance there will be family-friendly craft activities in the lobby.
Admission: $15.
CANCELED: Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy
NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet
Tue, Dec 6, 7:30
Concert Hall
Admission: $130, $90, $70, $30.
Vienna Boys Choir
Fri, Dec 9, 8:00
Concert Hall
A pre-performance discussion will take place in Monson Grand Tier, on the third level of the Center for the Arts Lobby, 45 minutes prior to curtain.
Admission: $55, $47, $33.
American Festival Pops Orchestra
Sat, Dec 10, 8:00
Concert Hall
A pre-performance discussion will take place in Monson Grand Tier, on the third level of the Center for the Arts Lobby, 45 minutes prior to curtain.
Admission: $60, $51, $36.
Gallery Exhibit: Elizabeth Hall: Viriditas
Through Jan 8
Hylton Performing Arts Center, Buchanan Partners Art Gallery
Admission: Free.
Virginia National Ballet: The Nutcracker
Fri, Nov 25, 2:00 and 6:30
Merchant Hall
Admission: Adult $45, $40, $35; child $30, $25, $20.
Northern Virginia Ballet: The Nutcracker
Sat, Nov 26, 2:00 and 6:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: Adult $35, senior, youth and military $25.
Chanticleer
Sun, Nov 27, 4:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $55, $47, $33.
Soweto Gospel Choir
Fri, Dec 2, 8:00
Merchant Hall
A pre-performance discussion begins one hour prior to the performance.
Admission: $50, $43, $30.
Mason Opera: Amahl and the Night Visitors
Fri, Dec 2, 3:00 and 8:00
Sat, Dec 3, 3:00 and 8:00
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: Adult $20, senior $15.
Manassas Chorale: Everywhere, Christmas Tonight
Sat, Dec 3, 7:30
Merchant Hall
Admission: $25, $23.
Creative and Performing Arts Center: Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity
Sun, Dec 4, 3:00 and 7:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $30, $25.
American Festival Pops Orchestra
Fri, Dec 9, 8:00
Merchant Hall
A pre-performance discussion begins one hour prior to the performance.
Admission: $60, $51, $36.
Prince William Little Theatre: The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge
Fri, Dec 9, 8:00
Sat, Dec 10, 2:00 and 7:00
Sun, Dec 11, 2:00
Fri, Dec 16, 8:00
Sat, Dec 17, 2:00 and 7:00
Sun, Dec 18, 2:00
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: Adult $20, senior $17.
Manassas Symphony Orchestra Family Concert: Explorations
Sat, Dec 10, 3:30
Merchant Hall
Admission: $25.
A Celtic Christmas with Seán Heely
Sun, Dec 11, 4:00
Merchant Hall
A pre-performance discussion begins one hour prior to the performance.
Admission: $46, $39, $28.
Please note: Although some physical meetings for clubs and activities are canceled, some may be meeting in person or, in a hybrid mode, both in person and online. OLLI events and activities meeting online bear the identification "Z" in their course or event number (except clubs; you may need to check the OLLI calendar and daily schedule email for location and other event information). Refer to the university's coronavirus website for official university updates.
The following list covering the next two weeks is extracted for your convenience from the master online calendar maintained by the office. The list is accurate as of mid-week but for the most up-to-date information, please view the latest forecast of coming events on our website (News/OLLI Calendar). Note: All OLLI members are welcome at, and encouraged to attend, meetings of the Board of Directors, committees and resource groups, kick-off coffees, etc. (bolded below). The OLLI office has sent (or will send) emails with links and meeting passwords to club members; you may also log in at the member portal and click on ZOOM CLASS LINKS.
Sat Nov 26
10:30 am
Tai Chi Club
Mon Nov 28
9:30 am
11:00 am
What’s in the Daily News?
Poetry Reading Club
Tue Nov 29
9:30 am
4:30 pm
Annex Art
Tai Chi Club
Wed Nov 30
10:00 am
2:00 pm
4:00 pm
Bridge Club
Memoir and More Writing Group
Conversations with Brenda and Doris
Thu Dec 1
11:30 am
11:50 am
4:30 pm
OLLI Holiday Party
All the News
Tai Chi Club
Fri Dec 2
9:15 am
9:30 am
11:00 am
Recorder Consort
Craft and Conversation
Homer, etc.
Sat Dec 3
10:30 am
Tai Chi Club
Mon Dec 5
9:30 am
11:00 am
What’s in the Daily News?
Poetry Reading Club
Tue Dec 6
9:30 am
10:30 am
4:00 pm
4:30 pm
Annex Art Literature, Language, and Theater Program Planning Group Meeting
Spanish Club
Tai Chi Club
Wed Dec 7
10:00 am
10:00 am
10:00 am
10:30 am
4:00 pm
Bridge Club
Mah Jongg Club
History Club
Investment Forum
Conversations with Brenda and Doris
Thu Dec 8
11:50 am
12:15 pm
4:30 pm
All the News Special Events Program Planning Group Meeting
Tai Chi Club
Fri Dec 9
9:15 am
9:30 am
9:30 am
11:00 am
11:30 am
2:30 pm
Recorder Consort
Photography Club
Craft and Conversation
Homer, etc.
Cooking Club
Tallwood Book Club
OLLI E-News was created by Rod Zumbro, who served as its editor from 2005 to 2013.
Editorial Staff
Chief Editor: Paul Van Hemel
Associate Editor: David Gundry
Weekly Editor Team: David Gundry, John Nash, Sheri Siesseger, Paul Van Hemel Proofreaders: Rebecca Jann, Susan Van Hemel, Linda Randall, Tom Appich, Jane Hassell
Submissions: Members are encouraged to submit letters to the editor, letters to Ms. Ollie Ettakit (on etiquette matters), OLLI-related news items, articles, and photos. Submit material to: ollienewseditor@gmail.com. Deadline: Tuesday, 6:00, for that week's issue (Monday, 6:00, for letters to the editor); early submissions are greatly appreciated. Please limit articles to about 250 words. Search E-News: You can view past issues of OLLI E-News at ENews Archives. To search the content within issues, use Search or enter your search term(s) in Google followed by “site:ollidev.earthcare.com/” without the quotes. An Amazon Smile Link appears here. When you shop using the Smile link designating OLLI as your charitable choice, we'll receive a 0.5 % donation, based on the value of your purchase.
Mason Jazz concerts this November have featured lots of variety, as noted in recent issues of E‑News. The following announcements are for two post-Thanksgiving concerts coming up on November 29 and November 30.
The Mason Steel Pan Ensemble (directed by Victor Provost) and Braddock Road Brass Band (directed by Graham Breedlove) team up on November 29, 8:00, for a concert in the Center for the Arts! Showcasing music of the Caribbean and beyond, as well as traditional New Orleans jazz and modern compositions, this concert is certain to entertain everyone!
Realtime Backups of Live Video
Robert E. Brown, OLLI member from 2011-2020, died July 13, 2022. He was a 1966 graduate of the University of Washington with a double major in history and the Chinese language. Robert had a 32-year career with the CIA, where he was a member of the Senior Intelligence Service and received several intelligence awards.
